Learning Curve
by AsianPon3
Summary: After a thousand years on the moon, the Luna has returned. Though what she returns to is a time very different from what she remembers. To help ease this process of adjusting to modern life, Celestia decides to enroll her sister into classes at Canterlot University, with the hope of Luna making friends and a better life. (Characters are human, but still have powers, wings/magic)
1. Crystal

**Greetings everypony. Was looking through some old stories that I didn't really get around to publishing/took down and found this one. I reread it and hopefully, am going to continue to add chapters to this story, though it will not be as frequent as some of my others most likely. This story is also different from my other ones, as I want to focus on the lives and relationships of the characters, versus just an action fic like I normally do. Anyways, I hope that you enjoy this story and I look forward to your responses. Remember to stay safe and make smart choices. -Asianpon3-**

**Learning Curve**

Canterlot Castle (9:00pm)

"Haha, take that Silentst-strider38. Your loot now belongs to me," an exhilarated Luna exclaimed. Pushing forward on her controller, Luna made her way over to the dead body of her victim and began to scavenge anything of value.

"I am most displeased. Almost nothing worth looting; what a pity," Luna commented, taking the only thing worthwhile and placing it into her inventory. Standing up from dead body, a loud and vicious noise rang through the headset and speakers of the flat-screen T.V. . A moment later, the entire screen was filled with an outer layer of red splotches, followed by the animation of Luna's character falling to the ground. The words 'You Are Dead' were shown clearly across the screen before diverting Luna back to the start menu of the multiplayer screen.

Before Luna could restart the multiplayer search, a few knocks came from her bedroom door, which resonated throughout her large room.

Standing up from her comfortable beanbag chair, Luna set down her controller and headset and made her way over to the door. A moment later, Luna opened the door to reveal Celestia standing in the doorway.

"Sister, I did not expect to see you here. Is there trouble?" Luna asked, followed by Celestia shaking her head with a warm smile on her face.

"There is not trouble to be found, rest assured Luna. Though I do need to talk to you about a few personal matters," Celestia added, causing Luna to tilt her head slightly, accompanied with a bemused expression.

"Personal matters. What ever do you mean?" Luna asked inquisitively. Celestia made her way into Luna's room before closing the door behind her. Celestia looked towards her sister before giving a heavy sigh.

"Dearest Luna. Please do not take this the wrong way, but I feel as if you may be troubled." Luna stared at Celestia with her bemused expression still adorning her face.

"Sister, I am not troubled. What would make you think that I would be?" Luna asked, Celestia sighing slightly before giving her response.

"Well, Luna, you have been gone for over a thousand years on the moon. When you came back to Equestria, I was so overjoyed. It was the happiest day of my life to see you again, as the real you. And even though you have done marvelously fitting back in with society, I do not think you have fully adjusted yet," Celestia claimed.

"And what do you mean by that sister?" Luna asked, a hint of distaste at that last part.

"Luna, please. I am just a little worried. All you do during your nights is sit in your room and play videogames with other random people over the Internet. Even though you might be socializing, it isn't the same as face to face."

"And your point with all of this is?" Luna asked.

"My point is that I want you to get out from your boring room and go meet some other people. Make some friends and socialize outside of videogames," Celestia recommended.

"And how would you suppose I do that sister?" Celestia smiled as her sister asked this question.

"For starters, I have enrolled you in the University of Canterlot," Celestia replied, receiving a daft stare from her sister.

"You what?" Luna yelled, transitioning into her Royal Canterlot Voice during the process.

"Calm down Luna, it is only three times a week at night. I have signed you up for two classes each night. You have Calculus from six to seven thirty, followed by Physics from eight to nine. Both of these classes will help improve your understanding of Equestria."

"Sister... how could you do something like this without my permission. Not only are you forcing me to do this against my will, but people will treat me differently because I'm a Princess," Luna commented, followed by Celestia smiling coyly at her sister once again.

"That would be the case if I had registered you with your real name. Since I figured you wouldn't want any special treatment, I registered you under an alias. Once you find yourself a disguise, it should be no problem at all to fit in with other college students. This will give you the perfect opportunity to make some friends and become accustomed to modern fashions and social habits," Celestia stated, starting to walk towards Luna's door.

"Classes start in one week Luna... or should I say, Crystal," Celestia corrected herself, stifling a little giggle as she exited her sister's room.  
>Luna stood motionless as she began to let the full reality of the situation sink in.<p>

"I guess it wouldn't be so bad. After all, it's only two classes. How hard could they be?"  
><span>Two Weeks Later<span>

"Arg! I'm not understanding any of this," A frustrated Luna shouted before falling back into her seat.

"I don't understand. How could subjects like this change so much while I was gone? It just doesn't make any sense," Luna sighed.

A few minutes had passed before there was a short knock on Luna's door. Luna didn't even have time to answer as Celestia walked through with a dinner tray levitating next to her.

"How goes the studying Luna?" A curious Celestia inquired. Just by looking at Luna, she could tell her sister was very frustrated.

"Not well at all sister. I thought I could handle this, but I never knew it would be this hard. This is all new material to me and I haven't the faintest idea of how to do any of it," Luna unwillingly admitted.

"Have you tried asking anyone from your classes for help? Or what about one of your friends?" Celestia inquired. Luna responded with a simple shake of her head.  
>"Oh. Ok Luna. Well, I will leave you to your studies. I just came by to say goodnight and to bring you some dinner." Celestia then levitated the dinner tray on top of Luna's desk before giving her sister a kiss on the head goodnight. With that, Celestia took her leave to let Luna focus on her schoolwork.<p>

The Next Night

"Alright class. Please clear everything off of your desks, besides a calculator and something to write with. This will be your first quiz, and as such, you are allowed to work on it in groups as per usual with all my quizzes; though you may not use your notes or any electronic devices that may connect to the internet," a middle aged woman said, levitating a quiz in front of every student in the lecture hall. With one glance at the quiz, Luna cringed at what she saw.

_An asteroid has an elliptical orbit around a planet with known mass of 9.54E29 kg. At the point closest to the planet along the asteroid's orbit, the asteroid has a velocity of 5.2E4 m/s and is a distance of 7E4 km away from the planet. At some point during the asteroid's orbit, it becomes 8.13E6 Km away from the planet. Using this information, calculate the velocity of asteroid at this new point. All work must be shown to receive credit. Explain how you arrived at this answer. (By the way, 5.2E4 is the same as 5.2 x 10^4. It is just easier to write it the other way, and when you start taking physics in college, you will see this notation used all the time.)_

Luna continued to stare blankly at her paper, completely lost on how to solve this problem. Slowly looking over to her left, she noticed a young man, in his early twenties with jet-black hair, vigorously working the problem. What Luna thought was strange though, was not how quickly and fluently the young man worked through the problem, but the animal that was lying it's head across his lap. A German Sheppard, most likely around ten years of age, was quietly resting his head in his owner's lap. The animal continued to baffle Luna, all the while contemplating why the owner had brought his dog into the classroom.

Luna continued to stare at the two for another minute or so before the young man turned his attention to Luna with a small smile. Luna's face was tinted with the hint of a blush as she quickly turned her attention back to her quiz.  
><span>(Change of POV from third to first person.)<span>

Standing up from my seat, I gently lowered my dog's head so that it rested steadily in the chair I was occupying. I then slowly made my way over to the girl that I had caught staring at me. Looking down at her paper, I noticed that she had not written anything down, and that she was trying her best to avoid an awkward situation, though this wouldn't stop me.

"Would you like some help?" I asked, taking a seat next to the girl, while trying to sound as polite as possible. The girl continued to stare down at her paper, the presence of a blush still noticeable on her half-tan skin, though she nodded at my offer.

"Alright then, do you know where to begin?" I asked, receiving a shake of the girl's head.

"Ok, well for this problem, we are going to be using the energy principle. Do you remember what that is?"

"I do. Isn't that where the change in energy of a system is equal to the work done by the system?" I nodded my head with a warm smile.

"That is it. And since the energy of a system is constant, what can we conclude about the work done on the system?" I asked, trying to only give certain pieces of information, but letting her figure the rest out herself.

"We... we get that the work done on the system is zero, correct?" I nodded in approval as a small smile found it's way across the girl's face.

"Now that we know the change in energy is equal to zero, we can set up our real equation, which would be?"

"It would be that Energy final is equal to Energy initial?"

"Yes. And from there we can break down the two energies even further. So we will now have..." I paused, giving the girl a chance to answer the question.

"We have that Kinetic final plus Potential final is equal to Kinetic initial plus Potential initial," Luna commented, sounding more confident in her answer than from the first two.

"Good. Now here is the tricky part. We have to solve for the velocity at point B on the orbit. Since the velocity for B is unknown, we are going to assign point B to be Kinetic initial plus Potential initial, and the other point be Kinetic final plus Potential final."

"Ok, I understand so far. So, since we know that at point A, the asteroid is closest to the planet, then that means we have all Kinetic energy in the system at that given point. So the equation will now be Kinetic energy at point A is equal to Kinetic energy at point B plus Potential energy at point B?" Luna asked aloud. I nodded my head in acknowledgement, as I could see the thought process slowly show itself from the girl.

"Oh, and from there we can cancel the masses of the asteroid and... oh!" Luna excitedly exclaimed, finally able to understand how the problem was supposed to be solved. I continued to watch as the girl excitedly wrote down step after step, with each moment coming closer to solving the problem. During this time, I couldn't help but sneak a few quick glances of the girl. One of her most notable features was her short blue hair, along with rather formal attire for class.

When the girl was finally finished, she circled her answer and looked back down at her work. Smiling after seeing her answer, I flipped my quiz paper over to help verify that she was right. When the girl looked over at my quiz, she was elated as both of our answers were identical.

"Yes! I finally understand. Thank you!" The girl yelled aloud, receiving many questionable stares from the people around her. I just decided to go with it and smiled back with a light chuckle.

"You are welcome, Miss...?"  
>"Crystal. My name is Crystal."<p>

"Crystal, I will remember that. Name's Gear," I said, holding out my hand and shaking Crystal's right hand.

With Crystal able to understand the problem, I let her think about the explanation part, even though we verbally walked her through each step, for the most part.

"Well, it was fun miss Crystal. I will see you Friday during class," I said, walking away from the girl and over towards my loyal companion. With a gentle rub of Apollo's side, the dog instantly woke from his nap he had been partaking in since the very beginning of class.

"Come on boy, time to go," I said, slinging my backpack over my shoulder and grabbing Apollo's leash. Apollo happily began to wag his tail as he led me down the stairs and to the front of the lecture hall, where I placed my paper face down on top of the many other quizzes that had already been turned in. Smiling towards my teacher, I bid her a goodnight before making my way out of the classroom and towards the parking lot.

A few minutes had gone by, as I was leisurely strolling through campus with Apollo happily wagging his tail, until I heard a voice from behind. I stopped and turned to see a familiar person running up to me.

"Oh, Crystal... hi?" I said, not sure why she was running after me. As soon as the girl met me, she slouched over slightly, with her hands on her knees for support and began to catch her breath as I continued to stand in front of her. Another minute went by before the girl was looking up at me with a normal breathing rate.

"I just wanted to say thank you again for helping me out on that quiz. This stuff is just so hard to learn," she commented, receiving a light chuckle from myself.

"I agree. It takes me around four to five hours a night to do all my Physics homework. Then after that, I have to do my calculus homework," I said, Crystal beaming with joy as she heard that I was taking Calculus.

"You are taking Calculus as well?" she asked. I nodded my head in confirmation before she smiled at me again.

"Awesome. Hey, I was wondering... would you like to maybe, help me with calculus and physics?" Crystal asked. I stared at Crystal for a moment before shaking my head.  
>"I'm sorry, but I can't. I have almost no free time as it is. I have work early in the mornings, till around five in the afternoon. After that, I grab something quick to eat and come straight here for my classes," I told Crystal, seeing the happiness in her facial expression flatten a little.<p>

"Oh, ok. Just forget I asked then. Anyways, thank you again for helping me tonight. I will see you in class Friday," Crystal said, starting to walk off, but I stopped her.

"Hey, wait." At this, Crystal turned around to face me again.

"Tell you what. I only work morning shift on Fridays. That means I usually get to school a few hours earlier than normal. If you would like, I could meet you in the library from around four to five thirty in the afternoon? How does that sound?" I asked, seeing Crystal beam with joy again.

"That would be most helpful. Thank you so much," she said, breathing somewhat of a sigh of relief.

"Ok then. I will see you in the library at around four. I am usually on the third floor near the back stairwell. I will have Apollo here with me as well, so you can't miss us," I said, giving Apollo a pat on the side as he let out a bark of confirmation. Crystal giggled lightly and a sincere smile adorned her face.

"Thank you. I will be sure to see you at four on Friday then," Crystal said, watching as I smiled back at her and nodded my head.

"Alright. Well, see you then Crystal," I said, turning around and beginning to walk towards the parking lot with Apollo walking along side of me.  
>Crystal continued to stand and watch as I walked away. Smiling to herself, she barely noticed that she was awkwardly standing in the middle of the sidewalk, watching as I walked away. Another blush soon adorned her face as she began to walk towards the nearest building and into the girls' bathroom. Making sure that nobody else was occupying a stall, or in the general vicinity, Crystal's hands began to glow as a blue aura of magic encased the Princess. Once the magic fully encased Crystal, her eyes glowed a bright blue before she disappeared from the campus.<p> 


	2. A Little Too Much

**Been a while since I have updated a story. Here is another chapter of Learning Curve and I promise that I am working on Homonis as we speak. I have around half of the chapter written, but for the last two weeks, I have been bombarded with tests to study for. Hopefully during spring break I will be able to pump out a chapter every few days. Anyways, remember to stay safe and make smart choices. -Asianpon3-**

Chapter 2

Third Floor Library (4:10pm)

"Alright Crystal, so what is the first step you need to do in order to solve the limit?" I asked, watching as Crystal thought hard about how to approach the problem.

"Umm, we need to substitute the value of the limit into the equation," Crystal responded, receiving a nod of approval from myself. As Crystal continued to work on the problem, I took a long sip of my hot chocolate that I had bought from the downstairs café area. Setting the drink down, I waited for Crystal to finish working the problem so we could move onto the next one.

"Great, that is the same answer I got. Now here is a little more complicated problem," I said, writing down another problem for Crystal to solve. After turning the paper back over to her, I waited as she continued to work the problem.

A minute or so went by as Crystal continued to diligently work through the problem, but eventually came to standstill as she was stuck on a certain part.

"Um, Gear?" the somewhat shy girl asked. I turned my attention back to her, as I instantly looked down at her paper and smiled.

"Ok, you have done the first part right. You have substituted the value of x into the function, and gotten your answer. The only problem is that you now have a constant over zero. So what should you do now?" I asked, trying to get Crystal to think about how to solve the problem herself without directly giving her the answer. For some reason, that was one of the many aspects people didn't find too appealing about me. Whenever I would be asked a question, I would never give them exactly the answer they were looking for. I would make them think and reason through the steps as best as I could, before giving them any bread crumbs of advice on how to solve the actual problem. Though the process might be annoying for the person asking the question, it was always more rewarding in the end.

"Um, I... I actually don't know what to do from here," Crystal shyly admitted, a small blush adorning her regal face.

"It's alright Crystal. That's why I'm here, and Apollo too," I commented, receiving a light bark and thumping of Apollo's tail against the large wooden desk Crystal and I were sharing.

"Though, I think Apollo is here more for the moral support aspect, than the actual tutoring," I added, Apollo letting out a low growl as he heard my statement. This caused Crystal and myself to let out a little laugh, as I began to help Crystal with the problem.

Two weeks had passed since the first tutoring session I had with Crystal. In that small amount of time, she had made considerable amounts of improvement. Just from the three tutoring sessions we had together, I could already see her starting to think more critically when approaching a problem. It made me feel elated that I had helped Crystal improve her studies, as would any tutor I assume. Though the biggest challenge was almost upon us. Next Monday was our first test for physics and calculus. That means that this weekend was going to be nothing but a quiet study session at home, or so I thought.

Physics Class (Friday Night)

"Remember, our first test for the semester will be this Monday. Make sure you take time over the weekend to study the materials we have covered in class. Everything we have learned in class, regardless if they were in your notes or PowerPoint slides is fair game. Good luck to all of you and have a safe weekend," the middle-aged woman announced to the class. As the sound of closing folders and zipping backpacks filtered through the lecture hall, Crystal approached me.

"Hey Gear. What are you doing this weekend?" Crystal asked.

"Well, I don't have work this weekend because of the two tests I knew I would be studying for. So I'm probably going to be at home studying. Why do you ask?" I curiously questioned. Noticing a small change in facial expression, I was met with a slightly more energetic Crystal, but still accompanied with a hint of shyness.

"Well, seeing as you have the weekend off and that we both have tests on Monday; how would you like to study together over the weekend?"

In all honesty, this question caught me off guard. The sudden forwardness of the usually shy girl was unexpected, and my reaction told her as well.

"It's ok if you don't want too. It was just a stupid suggestion," Crystal quickly added, but was met with a small smile.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea Crystal. I think it would do us both good to have each other in case one of us gets stuck on a problem," I commented, seeing Crystal beam a smile of joy.

"Wonderful. So shall we meet at the library then?" I pondered this question for a few moments before shaking my head.

"Nah. I am getting a little sick of the library. How about my place?" I asked, receiving a slightly delayed response.

"Oh, ok. Sure. That should be fine... And where exactly do you live?" Crystal asked, watching as I let out a little chuckle and tore off a piece of scrap paper out of my notebook. I then proceeded to take out a pen and write down my address before handing it to Crystal.

"Alright. That is my address. You can come by anytime you like, though please do not come before 11:00am. I am not really a morning person," I admitted. It was now Crystal's turn to let out a light giggle as she took the piece of paper and nodded her head.

"I will try my best, but no promises," Crystal teased. That was another thing I noticed about Crystal. She had a sense of humor that closely resembled mine, albeit a little more conserved. Though when it was just the two of us, we would always joke around with one other. I had to admit; it was nice having a friend that shared in the same taste of humor as I did. Most of the Canterlot Elites enrolled in this University would not understand, or find it degrading to joke around the way I did. So I was very fortunate and thankful to have a friend like Crystal.  
>Standing up from my seat, Apollo, Crystal, and I made our way outside and towards the parking lot. After wishing each other a good night, Apollo and I returned home for the night. Crystal on the other hand, had a much more eventful night in store for her.<p>

Canterlot Castle (9:00pm)

A bright flash of light resonated throughout the Lunar Princess's room. After the blinding light dulled itself, Crystal was now standing in her chambers, though no longer in her disguised form. After taking a moment to orient herself, Luna walked towards her chamber's door. Opening the door, Luna quietly walked out and began to make her way down the hall until she came upon another door. The door itself was nothing special; just a wooden base with the seal of a circular sun carved into it. After arriving at the door, Luna gave a few light knocks, but still loud enough for anyone inside to hear. A couple moments went by before the door was opened to reveal Celestia standing in the doorway, a smile adorning her face as she pulled her sister into a hug.

"Luna, I didn't expect to see you until tomorrow morning. Is everything alright?" The Sun Goddess asked. Luna nodded her head before returning her sister's smile.

"All is well sister. Though if it isn't too much trouble, may I have a moment of your time?" Luna asked, not realizing how formal she sounded. Celestia gently nodded her head before stepping aside and allowing her sister entrance into the room. The room was very similar to Luna's, except for the color scheme. Celestia's room was a vibrant mixture of warm colors, such as yellows and whites, whereas Luna's room was decorated with a mixture of cooler colors, such as blues and blacks.

After stepping inside, Celestia closed her door before making her way over to her bed and motioning for Luna to follow. Luna nodded her head and soon joined her sister on the bed.

"So Luna, what did you wish to speak with me about?" Celestia inquired, resting her back against the headboard of her bed. Luna followed suit, before giving her response.

"Well, I was coming here to tell you that I am going to be unavailable during the day for the next two days," Luna said, spiking Celestia's curiosity.

"Oh, and why would that be?"

"Well, I am studying with a friend for tests that I have next week for school," Luna admitted, watching as Celestia's eyes sparkled with joy.

"Luna, I am so happy for you. You have finally made a friend in which to share your studies with. If you do not mind me asking, who is this friend of yours?"

Luna blushed lightly from the overreaction she thought her sister gave, but indulged her sense of curiosity.

"Well, his name is Gear. He is the one that has been tutoring me the last couple of Fridays at the library on campus," Luna said. As soon as Celestia heard the mention of my name, a smirk lightly graced her faced.

"So, Gear is it? You seem to be seeing him more and more outside of class. Does my little Luna have a crush?" Celestia teased, watching as her sister's face turned a bright crimson red.

"What, n-no. I don't have a crush on him," Luna quickly defended. Celestia let out a little giggle as she nodded her head.

"I am only kidding little sister," Celestia commented, watching as Luna returned to a normal state, but a hint of the blush still noticeable on her face.

"So you will not be around here at all during the day? That is ok, though if I need to get a hold of you, I will call you or send someone to the library," Celestia calmly stated.

"Um, actually, we are not studying at the library tomorrow. He said that the library was getting a little repetitive, so he invited me over to his house instead," Luna finished. As soon as Celestia heard this, the tiredness she had felt throughout the day quickly vanished as she grabbed Luna.

"Oh my goodness Luna, we have to find you something nice to wear tomorrow!" Celestia exclaimed, startling Luna in the process.  
>"What... why?" A very confused Luna questioned. Celestia quickly had another smirk adorning her face, as she told Luna what she thought the true meaning of my actions were.<p>

"Luna, this is a study date. Twilight has told me about these in some of her friendship reports. It is when one person who likes the other person will invite them over to study. It is a way for two people to spend time together privately, while also making it seem like normal studying. Twilight started using this strategy when she found a colt she really liked, and the colt seemed none the wiser. Soon she was inviting him over almost every weekend to study, and before long, they started dating." Luna was astonished by this new information, but before she could dwell any longer on the subject, Celestia grabbed her by the hand and began to pull towards the door of her room.

"T-Tia, where are we going?" Luna asked.

"We have less than twelve hours to find the most adorable outfit we can for you." Celestia quickly stated, opening up the door to her chambers and dragging Luna through the door with her.

"But it is nine-thirty in the evening sister. There are no shops open right now," Luna commented, as Celestia beamed a small smile.  
>"Do not worry little sister, I have my ways," Celestia retorted, dragging Luna towards the end of the corridor and towards a night filled with endless shopping, makeovers, and a very resilient Luna.<p>

Next Day (12:30pm)

"T-Tia? Do I really have to go out like this?" an embarrassed Luna asked. Celestia finished making the final touches to Luna's outfit before levitating a silver necklace, accompanied with a beautifully handcrafted moon pendant.

"There. Oh, I wish I could see the look on his face when he sees you," Celestia admitted, forcing another blush from Luna.

"I am almost certain he will fall head of heels for you." Celestia said, giving a dramatic sigh to tease her little sister.

"Tia, cut it out. I do not think this is a study date, but just two friends studying together," Luna admitted, Celestia frowning slightly at this but smiling a moment later.

"We will see little sister. We will see," Celestia retorted, giving her sister a light kiss on the forehead before leaving Luna to herself.

Now that Luna was finally alone, she took this opportunity to fully look at herself in the mirror. A short brown skirt accompanied the Lunar Princess, with a dark blue shirt adorning her top. Luna had to admit, she found herself liking this new outfit and her new hairstyle. Her light blue hair in a ponytail complimented the look very nicely, or so Luna thought.

After staring at herself for a minute or so in the mirror, Luna reached towards her backpack before giving a slight nod of her head.

"Alright, time to study," Luna said aloud, concentrating as she was enveloped in a magical aura before quickly vanishing.

Gear's Apartment

With a flash of bluish light enveloping the surrounding area, Crystal had appeared on the front doorstep of my apartment. After catching her breath for a brief moment, Crystal slowly raised her hand to the door and gave it a few knocks. A loud ruckus of noise could be heard from inside, along with a few light growls and fumbling before the door was open.

"Hey Crystal, sorry about that..."I stuttered, taking in the sight of Crystal in her new outfit. I had to admit, she looked very adorable in her short brown skirt, and the sudden change in wardrobe had caught me by surprise. "Apollo isn't being very cooperative right now. But anyways, come on in," I managed to finish, opening the door and allowing Crystal to step inside.

Once inside, Crystal gazed around the room, noticing how small it was. There was the living room, plus a mid size table and chairs, along with a kitchen area, a bookshelf, TV, and finally a door that led into the bedroom.

"It isn't much, but it works. Have everything I need to live right here," I commented, walking back over to the kitchen and beginning the task which I had started before Crystal arrived.

"Well feel free to look around real fast; I have to give Apollo his medicine and he isn't being very cooperative about it." I said, hearing another growl from the stubborn dog.

"Yeah, yeah, I know what you want you spoiled dog," I said aloud, directing the response at Apollo. Apollo seemed to understand this, and I saw what I believed to be a smirk quickly forming across his face for a brief moment.

"Alright Apollo, come take your medicine," I said aloud. Apollo jumped from the couch that her was comfortably lying on and made his way into the kitchen. In my hand, slightly lower than Apollo's muzzle, was a peanut butter covered medicine pill. Apollo quickly devoured the treat like medicine, before wagging his tail and giving a small bark. I could only smile at this before giving him another glob of peanut butter, which he also quickly devoured. All the while, Crystal had been watching this scene unfold in front of her. In all honesty, she was very impressed with how well Apollo and I communicated with one another. It was almost as if we understood each other's thoughts.

After happily eating his second treat, Apollo let out another light bark before returning to the couch and resuming his daily ritual of a long nap. Crystal giggled lightly at the sight of Apollo before turning towards me.

"You two seem to get along very well together," Crystal commented, receiving a light chuckle from me.

"I would have to agree. Though we do have our differences, Apollo and I are almost connected in a sense. I don't know how to really explain it, but I can almost understand his thoughts and feelings and vice versa. I guess it is because we have been together so long," I added, before snapping myself out of my train of thought and smiling towards Crystal.

"Anyways, you came here to study. So lets get to it," I said, walking towards the wooden table that already had my math book open and my three-subject notebook. Taking a seat, Crystal soon followed.

For the next several hours, and even well into the evening, the two of us continued to study, making light conversation from time to time, but remaining focused for most of the time.

"Wow, it is already 7:00pm. It's time for dinner," I commented, my stomach grumbling loud enough for Crystal to hear. At this sound we both began to laugh for a minute or so before I stood up from the table and stretched my back.

"So, are you hungry? I can order a pizza if you like?" I asked, Crystal surprised by the offer.

"Oh, I don't really want to impose. I will be fine," Crystal said, but was met with me shaking my head at her answer.

"Come on. We have both been studying our flanks off for the last six hours or so. I think we both deserve to have a break and some well deserved pizza," I said, watching as Crystal thought about my offer for another moment.

"Oh, alright. Only since you offered," She responded. A smile soon adorned my face as I nodded my head in approval.

"That's more like it. So do you want anything particular on your pizza?" I inquired. Crystal shook her head before I smiled towards her.

"Alright, then cheese it is," I said, picking up my cell phone and dialing the number for Little Celestia's. After placing the order, I turned back towards Crystal with another smile on my face.

"Alright, it will be about half an hour before it gets here. In the mean time, may I indulge you in a glass of wine?" I asked, walking over to he fridge and pulling out a bottle of wine that had barely been touched.

"Why do you have a wine bottle in your fridge?" Crystal asked, finding it rather unusual for me to have alcohol. This was mostly due to the fact that I had gotten drunk with some of my friends and spent the whole night in the bathroom, puking my brains out.

"Well actually, we had our anniversary party for the company I work at. The company has been alive and well for twenty years, so they decided to treat all the employees to a brunch. After the brunch, there were many leftovers, so bosses started handing out things to their team members. Well, I was lucky enough to get stuck with a bottle of wine, since I had never mentioned that I didn't really drink."

"I see. And I assume you have been waiting for a moment like this to get rid of the wine?" Crystal asked, receiving a nod of acknowledgement.

"Well, if it's to help you get rid of it, then I guess I will have a glass," Crystal responded.

Hearing a yes, I grabbed two glasses from my cabinet and poured us each a full glass. For the next couple of hours, the two of us joked around with one another while indulging in pizza and wine. What the two of us failed to notice was that time was passing by ever so quickly and the nearly full bottle of wine was almost empty. The rest of the night was like a blur, with me only being able to remember certain parts. There was only one main thing that I was able to recall that night; studying was not the only thing the two of us did together.


End file.
